startup visa
get answers in 43 seconds
eligibility
Estonia has a set legal framework to identify and recognize startups. Startup is a technology-based, innovative, and scalable business that has an MVP and the first traction. Find out if your business is a startup and eligible for an Estonian Startup Visa.
Is your business eligible for the Estonian Startup Visa?
let’s hear the community
Nemailla Bonturi, founder of Äio
Estonia is like a mother to startups. They’re focused on nurturing numerous unicorns and will genuinely assist you in becoming one.
Emre Tinaztepe, Founder & CEO of Binalyze
Estonia is truly a force-multiplier for any startup that is on a mission to change the world. Why? Simply because, it allows you to focus on your product, and business idea with its unique ‘Startup Visa & Digital Nomad’ concept. You do what you do best, Estonian magic handles the rest.
Helise Johanson, ReloEst, Relocation service provider
Startup Estonia’s Startup status simplifies the relocation process, empowering founders to tap into Estonia’s business scene and hire global talent more smoothly for their business growth.
Karoli Hindriks, CEO and founder of Jobbatical
With its tight-knit tech community and global outlook, Estonia is an inspiration to Jobbatical and other startups to tackle tough, worldwide challenges.
Andrew Thompson, Silicon Valley based investor and entrepreneur, co-founder LifeSpeed
Estonia is one of the most prolific tech economies in the world, rivaling Silicon Valley and Israel for both creativity and productivity. It is a great place to connect with motivated innovators who want to build something massively impactful that can deliver spectacular financial returns.
Kadri Tammai, Regional Director NATO DIANA
Due to the reasons that Estonian startups don’t have a significant home market, they have the mindset to build fast-growing global companies from day one.
Martin Villig, Co-Founder of Bolt, mobility super-app of Europe & Africa
In Estonia, there’s a shared desire to use tech innovation towards a more sustainable world. Here, you’ll find peers who share your ambitious vision.”
Farid Singh, General Partner, Startup Wise Guys
Estonia makes building your startup an exciting journey, no bureaucracy, you focus on building great things with inspiring people in the ecosystem.
startup visa talent in estonia
The Estonian startup ecosystem is a tight-knit small superpower with diverse knowledge. Just 45 000km² gathers the voices and inspirations of as many countries as you can see on the globe. We’re spotlighting our non-EU pals here, as the EU tends to blend in seamlessly.
frequently asked questions
If a startup is granted a visa, the same may be granted to their family – spouse, minor children, and children that have reached the age of maturity but who due to their health status or disability are not self-reliant. The same applies to the family when the startup visa is extended.
The state fee for the review of a long-stay visa application is 80 euros and 60 euros for a short stay visa. No additional state fees are foreseen for the review of the application submitted to the Startup Committee.
The applicant’s’ company has to be in accordance with the startup definition in the Aliens Act. According to Aliens Act, a start-up is a business unit owned by a company registered in Estonia that is commencing operations and whose goal is to develop and launch an innovative and repeatable business model with great global growth potential and which contributes significantly to the development of the business environment in Estonia. Also, the company should be not older than 10 years.
A short-stay visa for a stay up to 90 days is a Schengen visa. A long-stay visa for startup for a stay to up to 365 days (can be extended for another 183 days) is a national visa. You may also visit other Schengen countries with a national visa for a stay of up to 90 days.
